Swivel jib for mobilized log yarders and the like



April 21, 1959 s. s. MCINTYRE, SR

SWIVEL JIB FOR MOBILIZED LOG YARDERS AND THE LIKE Filed July 14. 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN SIDNfY SW mm? 3%,

2,883,068 SWIVEL JIB FOR MOBILIZED LOG YARDERS AND THE LIKE Filed July14, 1955 April 21, 1959 s. s. MOINTYRE, SR

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nwmron SIDNEY SM INTYRESA hrrulvrys United StatesPatent SWIVEL JIB FOR MOBILIZED LOG YARDERS AND THE LIKE Sidney S.McIntyre, Sr., Sedro Woolley, Wash, assignor to The Humboldt Company,Seattle, Wash, a corporation of Washington Application July 14, 1955,Serial No. 522,091

2 Claims. (Cl. 212-70) This invention relates to logging vehicles. Moreparticularly it relates to improvements in a device known in theindustry in which it is used as a Swivel ib and which, in the presentshowing, is especially adapted for use at the upper end of the mast ortower as carned on a mobilized log yarding and loading vehicle to servethe purpose of the spar tree in ordinary cable logging operations.

The present day type of mobilized log yarding and loading vehicle isequipped with a turntable on which a tower and a loading boom aremounted. The tower carries a sheave in a block or fairleader at itsupper end over which a haul-in line is extended for log yardingpurposes. Vehicles or machines of this type, which are used for theyarding of logs from opposite sides of the vehicle and which also usethe swinging boom for loading at either or both sides of the vehicle,have guy lines extended from the upper end of the tower to anchoringmeans at opposite sides of the vehicle to prevent possible tipping ofthe vehicle and tower structure under lateral pull of the yarding cable,and under the swinging of the loaded boom from side to side.

It has been found to be quite desirable and advantageous to be able toapply and to adjust the tension of the guying lines by devices locatedon the deck of the machine, and inconsideration of this and for otherreasons presently apparent, it has been the principal object of thisinvention to provide means which makes it possible in a practical andconvenient way, to control the adjustment of tension of guy lines bymeans on the deck of the vehicle instead of at their outer ends oranchor points. Furthermore, to provide a tension adjusting connectionbetween guy lines and tower that is not, in any way, affected by theturntable action of the yarder mechanism.

More specifically stated, the objects of the present invention reside inthe provision of a swivel jib mounted by a tubular shank and on whichshank sheave wheels are mounted in such manner that the haul-in line andthe tensioning connections for the guy lines, all extend thereto throughthe tubular shank from cable winding means located on the deck of themachine.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a swivelmounting on the jib shank for the fair-leader or sheave over which thehaul-in cable operates so that it will automatically adjust itself onthe shank to the direction of pull on the cable and regardless ofturntable action of the tower.

Furthermore, the present structure includes a mounting for the sheaves,over which the guy line tension adjusting cables are extended, aremounted in planes at right angles to each other; this mounting beingkeyed on the shank which, in turn, has swivel action in a supportingbearing by which it is mounted at the top of the tower.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention reside in thedetails of construction and combination of the parts embodied by theswivel jib, and in their mode of use, as will hereinafter be fullydescribed.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a side view of a mobilized logging vehicle having a log yarderand tower mounted on a turntable thereon and equipped with a swivel jibembodied by the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the machine indicating the relativeposition of the loading boom and guy lines.

Fig. 3 is a somewhat enlarged side view of the swivel jib as applied tothe top of the tower.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the swivel jib; the sectionbeing taken substantially on the plane of the line 4-4 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken substantially on line 55 in Fig. 4,showing the relationship of the sheaves which carry the guy linetensioning cables.

Fig. 6 is a view showing in a diagrammatic way, a tensioning cableconnection with one of the guy lines.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

In Fig. l a present day type of mobilized yarder and loader has beenshown. This vehicle comprises the base frame or chassis 9 as equippedwith ground wheels 10 for highway or road travel of the machine, andwith outrigger supports 11 at the rear end. Mounted upon the vehiclechassis by a turntable base 12, is a log yarder which has here beendesignated in its entirety by reference numeral 13. Fixed to the yarderbase is a fabricated mast or tower 14 which, at its apex or top isequipped with the swivel jib embodied by the present invention and whichis designated in its entirety by refer ence numeral 15.

Mounted on the yarder base structure or turntable 12 is a log loadingboom 16, fixed and supported by hinge pins 17 at its inner end for itsvertical oscillation as raised or lowered by the usual pulleyarrangement including the cable 18 and cable winding drum 19; the drumbeing associated with the drums of the yarder mechanism in anysatisfactory manner. A log lifting cable 20 is extended along the boomand over a fairleader 21 at its outer end. The inner end portion of thecable 20 is wound on a drum 22. that also is associated with the yardermechanism.

The swivel jib, 15, as shown in sectional detail in Fig. 4, comprises atubular mounting shank 25 of elongated, cylindrical form. This has itslower end portion contained for axial rotation and support in a bearinghousing 26 that is fixed in the upper end of the tower 14. As shown inFig. 4, the housing 26 is cylindrical; is vertically disposed, and fixedat its upper and lower ends in web plates 27 and 28 which are fixedhorizontally in the tower structure. The mounting shank 25 is coaxial ofthe housing 26 and is supported for rotation therein by antifrictiontaper roller bearings designated at 29 and 36, applied within upper andlower ends of housing 26. It is further to be understood that the swivelshank is coaxial- 1y aligned with, and also ordinarily verticallyaligned with the axis of rotation of the turntable.

Applied to the tubular shank 25 immediately above the housing 26 is asheave mounting sleeve 35, formed at its lower end with an annularflange 36 that closely overlies and projects beyond the upper endportion of the housing 26; this flange being formed with a downwardlyextending peripheral lip 37. A joint sealing gasket 38 is disposedbetween the upper end of housing 26 and flange 36. At its upper end thesleeve 35 rests against an annular, downwardly facing shoulder 39 formedon the shank 2d. Thus, through the mediacy of the sleeve as engagedagainst the shoulder 39, and a nut 40 that is threaded onto the lowerend of the shank and seated against the bearing 30, the shank is heldagainst endwise shifting. The

3 Y sleeve '35 is keyed, as best shown at 42 in Fig. 5, to the shank,and therefore these parts turn together.

As shown best in Fig. 5, the sheave wheel mounting sleeve 35 is formedwith two sets of radially directed sheave mounting arms or flanges 43-43and 44-44, in which cable guiding sheaves 45 and 46, respectively, aremounted for rotation on axles 47. It will be understood by reference toFig. that the sheave wheels 4546 are rotatable in vertical planes, andat right angles to each other. Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5,both the shank and sleeve are longitudinally slotted, as at 47-47 andthe two sheave wheels 46-47 extend through these slots into the passagein the tubular shank for a purpose presently explained.

At the upper end of the shank 25, a block 50 is mounted for axialrotation thereabout. The block is secured to the shank through themediacy of anti-friction ball bearings 55 that are mounted for rollingtravel in an annular raceway 56 in the shank and raceway 57 in theblock. Mounted on the block, to rotate on a horizontal axis 58, is asheave wheel 59 by which the haul-in cable 60 is carried. As indicatedin Fig. 4, the sheave 59 is so disposed that the cable 60 as extendedtherefrom to the cable winding drum, extends axially through the tubularshank for winding onto and from the drum; this being designated bynumeral 61 and is one of the drums of the yarder.

It is further to be observed, by reference to Fig. 5, that the sheaves45 and 46 are so disposed that cables passed thereto through the tubularshank extend along opposite sides of the cable 60 as contained in theshank.

The guying of the tower against lateral tipping under a load supportedby the boom when extending in a lateral direction, and also tocounteract haul-in line pull, or log lifting operations of any kind bythe boom is etfected by guy lines 65 and 66 arranged as schematicallyshown in Fig. 6. These guy lines are suitably anchored at their outerends as to stumps, trees 67. At their inner ends, which terminate shortof the swivel jib, they are each equipped with a pulley block 68, asshown in Fig. 6. Guy line tensioning cables 70 and 71 for the two guylines, respectively, have ends attached to pins 72 that are extendedthrough and between the lower ends of paired sheave mounting arms 43-43and 44-44 of the sleeve 35 as shown in Fig. 4, and are extendedoutwardly therefrom and through the corresponding pulley blocks 68 thenback to the swivel jib passing over the sheave wheels 45 and 46, andfrom these downwardly through the tubular shank to individual poweroperated cable winding drums 75 and 76 mounted on the yarder. By thewinding in of these cables, the guy lines can be brought to the desiredholding tension, and by proper control of these drums to draw in or payout the tenaioning cables, the guy lines can be adjusted to meetconditions or requirements.

The important feature of the present invention resides in the provisionof means for efiecting and controlling tension of the guy lines, as wellas to control the. haul-in line, through the mediacy of cable windingdrums, all of which are located on the deck of the yarder, this beingmade possible by provision of the swivel jib and the extending of thelines from the cable winding drums through the tubular shank. Rotationof the yarder for log loading does not change the tension adjustment ofcables due to the fact that the swivel jib is vertically and axiallyaligned with the axis about which the turntable rotates.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A swivel jib construction of the character described comprising aturntable, a tower mounted on the turntable, a bearing housing mountedon the upper end of said tower, an axially rotatable tubular shaftmounted in and supported by said bearing housing, said tubular shaftextending above the bearing housing, a plurality of spaced verticalslots in the extended portion of said shaft, a collar secured to thetubular shaft above said bearing, paired radial arms secured to thecollar in radial alignment with each of said slots, sheave wheelsrotatably mounted in vertical planes between each pair of arms, aplurality of cable winding drums at the base of the tower, a cableleading from each cable drum through said shaft and over a sheave wheel,said drums being operable to adjust the eifective length of the cables,a rotatable block mounted on the upper end of said shaft and a haul-inline leading over said block above and clear of said sheaves.

2. A swivel jib construction as in claim 1, wherein said cables arerespectively interconnected with a guy-line and the free end of eachcable is secured to the pair of arms which supports the sheave overwhich the cable passes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS453,087 Millikcn May 26, 1891 936,425 Dickinson Oct. 12, 1909 1,008,564Schmidt Nov. 14, 1911 1,657,187 Whittlesey Jan. 24, 1928 1,824,978Berger Sept. 29, 1931 1,856,907 Chapman May 3, 1932 2,381,731 ErdahlAug. 7, 1945 2,666,532 Shoemaker Ian. 19, 1954 2,720,986 Burton Oct. 18,1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 254,641 Great Britain July 8, 1926

